Anna Soubry, minister for small business, hits out at Eurosceptics with
'obsession' and 'not healthy' desire for EU exit

Eurosceptics with an “obsession” about leaving the EU should “get a life”, a cabinet minister has said in remarks that escalate the Conservatives’ civil war over the referendum.

Anna Soubry, the minister for small business who attends Cabinet, said it was “not healthy” for people to “live, eat, drink, [and] sleep” the drive to pull Britain out of Europe.

The comments are the most outspoken criticism of Eurosceptics by a cabinet minister since the election and threaten to heighten divisions within the party.

It comes with splits emerging at the very top of government over whether cabinet ministers should be free to campaign for Britain to leave the EU.

A referendum on British membership of the EU will take place by the end of 2017 Photo: Reuters

David Cameron faced pressure on the eve of Tory conference amid claims he will never campaign for exit despite public saying he will “rule nothing out” before renegotiation is complete.

Speaking at a conference event hosted by European Movement and other pro-EU bodies, Ms Soubry told campaigners they must not “underestimate” the emotion of “those who want us to leave”.

“That is a very difficult thing to begin to debate with, to engage with, and it’s difficult often to beat because they do have this passion that is an obsession. They live it, eat it, drink it, sleep it,” she said.

“I don’t just mean a few people in our own party but obviously all those other people who’s name we’re not going to mention” – an apparent referendum to Labour.

Ms Soubry went on: “It means that they have this obsession that they will do almost everything and anything, they will devote all their time in a way that really is not healthy for them in this run-up to the referendum.”

“Because as I say, they live it, they eat it, they drink it. You want to say to them: For God’s sake, get a life. But they’ve gone beyond that. That makes it very difficult for us.”

Ms Soubry also said at the event that Conservatives must make clear there is “more that bring us together than ever puts us apart” during the debate over Europe.

However the call for ardent Eurosceptics to “get a life” is unlikely to increase harmony given a number of senior Cabinet ministers are expected to campaign to leave the EU.

It comes as tensions between pro- and anti-EU politicians and campaigners emerged at events across Tory conference at Manchester on Monday.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Eurosceptic campaign group Business for Britain, accused Europe minister David Lidington of putting a “gloss” on the progress of renegotiation.

Mr Elliott said there was “no evidence” substantial reforms would be won and named Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Philip Hammond as cabinet minister who may campaign to leave.

An In/Out vote on Britain's EU membership will be held before the end of 2017 Photo: Alamy

Mr Lidington, who was sharing the platform at the EU fringe event, said the government was “absolutely determined” to get substantive changes during the renegotiation.

He said the EU was facing a series of crises over refugees and the single currency and called for leaders on the Continent to help fix the “political disconnect” British voters felt with Europe.

Michelle Pingerra, a partner at Goldman Sachs, also failed to rule out moving the bank’s headquarters from Britain, saying that would “have to looked at” once renegotiation was complete.

It has also emerged that Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, will be visiting Britain on Friday as Mr Cameron seeks reforms to Britain's EU membership.